Roxanne
by lokomoko
Summary: However much this dismayed her parents, she was tired of lectures. She was ready to break out of this place and travel to her heart's content. She was going to go to Kanto's big cities, party it up and meet the love of her life. She wanted a life of adventure and winning contest ribbons was where the act would lead her.
1. Chapter 1

Roxie looked behind her at the sound of the pokemon lab's front door, mentally adding another straggler to her count. Not including herself, that left nine boys and six girls. They were missing four people which meant that twenty percent of their classmates were choosing at the last minute to forgo their journeys. After working so hard to get to this point, everyone from their trainer school should be here, but obviously, that wasn't the case. Maybe it didn't seem like a big percentage, but their graduating class was tiny.

Out of their seventy-eight mixed graduates, fifty-eight were civilians which left twenty as trainers, but it seemed even that dismal number was dropping. Realistically speaking, not everyone had what it took to become a pokemon trainer. It was better they realized it now than regret it later when they were about to be mauled by a wild rhydon. And yes it _was_ unfortunate that not many people were choosing to leave, but it was to be expected when there was more to be worried about than wild pokemon. Now that it was confirmed that Team Rocket was outpacing law enforcement, it was necessary for trainers to fight back.

It wasn't always like this. Roxie remembered a time when every kid in her neighborhood wanted to be a pokemon trainer, when being a trainer meant having the adventure of a lifetime. It was the ultimate milestone eleven-year-olds. Trainer and pokemon deaths were few and far between and pokemon thefts were rarely if ever reported. Now everyone saw it as a death sentence, too scared to venture out alone on the off chance of encountering Team Rocket. Roxie didn't want to meet them either, but she wasn't going to let a group of criminals control her life. She wasn't an idiot of course. She knew that if she ever encountered them, she was deader than dead. Luckily the chances of her encountering them on this side of Kanto were close to nil. Team Rocket never ventured near Kanto's West Coast, likely smart enough not to meet Giovanni and the Elite Four, Kanto's strongest pokemon trainers. Instead they were always being sighted near the bigger cities: Celadon, Cerulean, Saffron and Vermillion. By Roxie's estimation, she and her pokemon would be more than ready to defend themselves once they'd passed Mt Moon.

There was a cough and everyone, including her, realized Professor Oak was done readying the starter pokemon. The chattering stopped and everyone was now impatiently waiting for him to speak. Roxie was at the front of the crowd, grinning and sharing the excited energy in the room.

Today was the day that they had all been waiting for - the day where they could choose their very own starter pokemon and set out on their journeys. It was a significant event for all standing because it was also the day that they were finally being seen as adults. For Roxie, this could not be any more monumental. She'd waited eighteen years for this and it was finally going to happen. She worked her butt off to earn her trainer credentials in school and it was finally paying off. She was going to leave Pallet Town. Freedom was just steps away, hidden within a red and white ball.

"Now before I let you choose your starters, I just want to say how very proud I am of each one of you. Graduating the academy is no small feat. Ten years ago, trainer and pokemon deaths were at its peak in more than half a century. Because of the rise in criminal activity, an age restriction was issued by the Pokemon League so that trainers would have longer schooling and therefore have the skills needed to better defend themselves.…"

Roxie steadfastly began blocking out Prof Oak. She respected the man and saw him for his great accomplishments, but she already knew all the statistics and the likelihood of her dying in the wilds vs dying at the hands of poachers and thieves. Yes, there'd been a drop-in trainer and pokemon deaths due to the new age restriction, but there was also a lower overall count in pokemon trainers, quality over quantity to sum it up. That's not to mention the steady rise in pokemon poaching and thievery and subsequent higher demand for law enforcement in the last two years, correlating with Team Rocket's public debut two years ago. This wasn't new. She'd had it drummed into her head by her teachers, parents and everyone else in Pallet who wanted to discourage her from becoming a pokemon trainer. If it didn't daunt her then, it wasn't going to affect her now.

There was a reason why she was leaving on her journey straight out of the academy and not continuing her education. However much this dismayed her parents, she was tired of lectures. Hell she was tired of Pallet Town. She was ready to break out and travel to her heart's content. She was going to go to Kanto's big cities, party it up and meet the love of her life. And while a part of her admitted she was being naïve, Roxie didn't really care. This was her life and if what she was choosing was a mistake, then so be it. She wanted to experience new things and have a life of adventure and winning contest ribbons was where the act would lead her. She was going to become famous… more famous than her mother. It beat going to college, wasting money on an education for a job she wasn't even interested in… like running a family bakery.

"Gary and Roxie please step up. As you two were this year's valedictorians, you'll be the first to choose your pokemon," said Oak.

Gary immediately whoo ped and sprung away from the small crowd. "Heh bought time Gramps, I mean am I right?!" he said turning to the audience. Straight away cheers and loud proclamations of Gary's name ensued, inadvertently causing lab equipment to shake.

"Settle down. You'll all get your turn!" Oak exclaimed, cutting celebrations short. He cautioned others to take a few steps back from some of the more precarious parts of the lab.

Roxie followed but at a more sedate pace. It was just like Gary to make an ass of himself, not that he really mattered. After today, it was unlikely she'd ever have to encounter him again. With that thought, Roxie smiled to herself as she quietly walked to the machines holding red and white pokeballs.

Although there were numerous choices, there were only three pokemon that Roxie wanted to choose from: charmander, a fire type; bulbasaur, a grass type; and Squirtle, a water type. Unless bought from a high-priced breeder, these rare pokemon could only be found in Kanto's most remote wilds. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses and various own uses. Charmander would provide heat, bulbasaur likely could identify edible plants and squirtle could provide water (however gross) and safely swim her across bodies of water. Roxie wanted to deliberate more but knew she had already made up her mind.

Eagerly, Roxie reached for the pokeball and released the charmander.

White light collapsed and formed an orange lizard with a long fiery tail. It stood on its hind legs, scratching his jaw in a bored manner. He acted like he couldn't care less whether she chose him to be her starter or not, but Roxie noticed the fidgeting of his tiny claws and his sneaking glances to her. There was a cautious look in his blue eyes, a warning for her not to step too close. Roxie thought he was adorable and desperately wanted to hug him, but stopped herself. She didn't want to startle the little guy when he already looked nervous enough.

Crouching low, Roxie smiled and gently held her hand out to the pokemon far enough to give him space, but close enough to show she wasn't afraid. She hoped the lowered height made her seem the least threatening as possible.

"Hi my name's Roxie. Do you want to be friends?"

The fidgeting immediately stopped and surprise overtook him, no longer holding the bored facade.

Noticing she had his attention, she continued more confidently, careful to keep eyed contact. "I'm going to be a Pokemon Coordinator. I want to adventure and get out of this boring place, but I need a strong and reliable partner to do that. In return, I promise to take care of you and make you as strong famous as you can be. So what do you say?"

Roxie felt a little sad, but hid it knowing how perceptive pokemon were to human emotions. It was almost like he couldn't believe she was asking him for his help. He looked a little silly the way he was bulging his already enormous eyes. When he recovered, it took him a moment longer to register her hand before he bashfully smiled and nodded, timidly returning the handshake.

Roxie wondered if he was just naturally shy when meeting new people. He was a fine specimen for his species with his healthy flame and larger than average height. Any trainer would be lucky to have him for a starter. Taking another cursory glance, she noticed the small scars already littering his smooth scales. Roxie judged him to be a scrapper. His tail even supported her observation: though still timid, his quivering tail flame betrayed his eagerness – making an incredible fiery sight…. So maybe it wasn't shyness. Maybe a bad experience with another trainer? Whatever it was, she was sure that with more time, he'd grow more comfortable around her. She'd already achieved the first step of winning him over.

From her research, Roxie knew that a charmander's tail flame represented its life force and its ranges in emotion. It was almost poetic in the way charmanders and their evolutions added more complexity to a hazard like fire. Their specific fire brought pain and death, but also almost literally breathed life. Roxie just knew Charmander's fire would make a perfect contest showing. Where most people would have seen a fire pokemon for its destructive nature, Roxie oddly became inspired. She admitted she was a little different in the way she saw pokemon for their splendor, but this was also one of the reasons why she wanted to be a coordinator; she wanted to showcase their beauty. Her mind wandered to the training needed to hone his abilities and her excitement grew and suddenly she knew Charmander was the perfect partner for her. She couldn't wait to be friends with him.

Roxie looked to Professor Oak. "I choose Charmander."

"Then I choose Squirtle!" Gary yelled.

"Good choices you two," Oak pointed to the left and said, "Savannah, my assistant, will ID your pokemon and pokedexes."

Ignoring Gary's obvious if predictable bid for type advantage, Roxie nodded and promised Charmander she'd release him later before returning him to his pokeball.

She moved to Savannah, beating Gary to the woman by almost a full second. Roxie wanted to childishly taunt him, but she caught herself and instead gave her full attention to Professor Oak's assistant. Today was the start of her successful career as a mature, "take no prisoners" pokemon trainer and she wasn't going to ruin that by lowering herself to Gary's level.

Roxie gave Savannah her trainer card and if the woman noticed fire burning in Roxie's eyes while she scanned the pokeball and pokedex, she didn't voice it.

Once done, Roxie received her items, swiftly thanked Savannah, shook Oak's hand, then thanked him and practically skipped out of the building. Day one's checklist was almost halfway done. All that was left was to get home, say bye to her parents and then leave for Viridian City.

"Yo Roxie!"

Roxie internally groaned. She debated whether it'd be easier to run, but he'd already caught up to her so she resigned herself to confronting the infatuated boy. Only he could sound this arrogant at – she checked the time on her phone – 7:25 in the morning. She'd hoped to avoid this by leaving earlier than him, but the boy was persistent. If she were being honest, Gary Oak wasn't bad looking. In fact, Roxie could easily see why a lot of girls found him attractive. His face wasn't disfigured and he was tall with what could be called a lithe build. Roxie surmised he was at least 5'10" – at least three inches above Roxie's sufficient 5'7". He was her main rival in Poke Academy, grade wise, and unlike that Damien kid, he always treated the academy's pokemon well. He also knew how to draw a crowd and a lot of people liked him for his talents. It was the kid's attitude that bugged her. Gary was your typical know-it-all, but with a bonus: he came with a smart mouth, which was really unfortunate because he knew how to get under people's skins, especially hers. It's how he was able to rank himself above others and still stay confident. To put it bluntly, Gary was a bully. Roxie quietly suspected a superiority complex. You could see it in the way he couldn't stand tying with her or the way he always had to have eyes on him. Maybe it had something to do with being in a famous family? His grandfather was a well-known pokemon researcher and his sister was a Top Coordinator that, just last month, had finished in third place for the interregional Valor Festival.

Roxie stopped her train of thought. It was none of her business and she frankly didn't care.

"Hey Roxie! I've decided I'm going to let you travel with me. I have my convertible and I can protect you!" He gestured to the red sports car behind him where several girls with pom-poms were already piled in. "You can even be one of my cheerleaders," he grinned suggestively.

Roxie narrowed her eyes, flatly responding, "No thanks Gary."

Spending her freedom with him? Nope. Protection? Not gonna fly. Don't even get her started on the cheerleaders. There was no way those girls weren't being paid.

Not done yet, Gary leaned down, closer to her level, jeering, "Then who are you journeying with?" He didn't give her room to speak, obnoxiously sniggering, "A gorgeous girl like you can't go alone."

Roxie pursed her full lips, ready to erupt, but unwilling to give him the satisfaction. Another reason she didn't like him was because of the way he looked at her, as if he was actually better than her. Like he didn't just look at her like she was a piece of meat, although those were sometimes the worst where it felt like he couldn't decide between punching or, to her disgust, kissing her. But other times he'd get so resentful of her class ranking, he'd form this gloating, challenging look in his eye and question her abilities in front of other people and draw them into the fold. She truthfully couldn't count the many betting pools he'd been able to provoke from their classmates or, Roxie shamefully admitted, from her when she somehow wasn't at the point of his fixation. His over the top challenges were one of the many instances Roxie especially wanted to knock him down a peg and, like a sucker, she always accepted – not that she always won. His rivalry with her was what drove her to new competitive heights, so however unorthodox (and Roxie would never say this to his face), she was grateful. Without him always pushing her or …rattling her cage, Roxie honestly didn't think she'd be able to go on her own journey. He'd been a necessary evil, but now he was no longer needed.

She just wished everyone wasn't so influenced by Gary. While she was popular for her class ranking, she'd never been interested in forming closer relationships with her peers, too busy working and studying. Gary knew this and took advantage of her lack of friends. It was because of his doing that they were always questioning her ability to safely travel. Did no one acknowledge that she'd graduated valedictorian? It was utterly disrespectful and so very like Gary to bolster everyone against her. He knew she hated it too – it's why he was doing it now. The jerk really knew how to get to her. And although she'd accepted the fact that a lot of her classmates were genuinely just looking out for her, it was still aggravating. And while she knew it would be better to form a group to travel with, like the rest of her classmates, she was a prideful autonomous woman; she could take care of herself. Despite how dangerous it was to travel alone, especially for girls, she was willing to take the risk in order to better her growth and self-discovery. Pallet Town had stifled her long enough. It was just a little ridiculous that no matter how capable she was in self-defense or battle strategy or camping in the wilds, other people in the future, besides the people of Pallet, were still going to find it odd that she was traveling alone. It was silly to let it bug her, but she was going to have to get over it. Ugh she hated how much she could attribute her readiness for her journey to Gary.

She put her hand on her hip (it gave her more attitude), heavily sugar-coating her words, "I'll be fine Gary. There's a reason you and I got the highest scores in our class."

Gary faltered at being reminded of their tied grades and Roxie smiled sweetly, for an extra slight, fluttering long eye lashes and altogether acting oblivious to, but inwardly reveling in the boy's plight. It was a little underhanded to remind him of what he considered his faults, but like Gary, Roxie also wasn't above hitting where it hurt. She didn't lie down and let anyone, especially not Gary, take shots at her without giving ones of her own. Of course these digs could almost be called light-hearted when she considered what Ash and Gary fired at each other in the heat of their pokemon battles.

"Right well… if you change your mind, you can always call me." Gary coughed, gaining some composure. "I'm leaving as soon as Ash gets here. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes all the pokemon are gone!"

"Yeah sure. See you." Hopefully never.

Wind breezed past and Roxie flicked her long hair away from her face. She was ready to get on with her journey. With her back turned towards Professor Oak's lab, Roxie began to make her way down the dirt path, towards home. She ignored the feeling of Gary eyeing up her ass, loath to provoke another exchange. As far as she was concerned, this would be the last time they'd be trading barbs for quite some time. When she spoke to him again, it'll be too soon.

 _20 minutes later_

"I'm late! I'm so late! Shit, shit, shit, _shit_!" a messy haired boy cried, running at top speed in his pajamas. "I'll take a bulbasaur or a squirtle! Hell I'd even take a goddamn magikarp! …Well maybe not a magikarp! Just please, please have a pokemon Professor Oak! _Please_!"

* * *

On her way home, Roxie passed the market district, two kilometers from home.

Usually her parent's bake shop would already be open for business at this time, but today her workaholic parents had thankfully decided to open later in the morning in order to spend some time with her before she left.

Although they were able to live comfortably, they were the type of family that still needed to work regular hours. Most of their income came from their successful bakery: Sweet Angie's Deserts, the first and only bakery to open in their small town. Her mom was the one to come up with the idea and inspire Roxie's dad to partner and open shop.

Their bake shop was known for its delicious pastries, deserts and cakes, but what really set it apart from other bakeries was its effective focus in pokemon sweets such as poffins, pokeblocks, and pokepuffs. With her mother's extensive experience as a pokemon coordinator, she and Roxie's father had been able to incorporate poffin and poke block recipes specifically marketed for breeders and coordinators…. Wait specifically market… effective focus? Roxie tried and failed to ignore how well she'd just sounded like the bakery's mission statement. She inwardly shuddered and vowed to never speak of this to her father lest he get the wrong idea and think she actually wanted to go to business school… and then eventually own the bakery. She blamed it on the many hours she'd clocked in helping her parents at the cashier and working in the back, baking deserts.

Her thoughts wandered back to the bakery's success and she admitted that her mother's status as a Top Coordinator had definitely helped to attract more customers, not that anyone could argue their credibility when the effects of their original poffins and pokeblocks could speak for themselves…. She really needed to stop with those mission statement words.

Her mother still amazingly made guest judge appearances at local contests and, under the guise of wanting catering, fans still made appearances at the bakery to challenge her to battles. And with the rate of the bakery's current popularity, Roxie honestly wondered what would happen if her mother actually tried making more frequent appearances in contest halls. It would be so easy for her to branch off from pokemon coordinating to talk shows and other media, but Roxie didn't hold her breath. Ultimately, this was where she and her mother differed. Roxie wanted fame and attention but her mother, on the other hand, has never liked it and has always preferred the place where she and Roxie's father grew up: the quiet tranquility of Pallet's vast hills and grassy fields. Roxie loved Pallet for its peaceful atmosphere too, – honestly she did! – but it got boring knowing everyone who lived in the small town. There were never any surprises. It was with this reasoning that Roxie could say that she's never understood her parents' homebody mindsets, but she was nevertheless thankful they supported her decision to travel.

When Roxie made it home, she absently took in the house's outward appearance. Before entering the property, you had to first pass the white picket fence. From there, there was a walkway that lead up to a porchless two story white house. The house held a broad frame with a steeped pitched, grey shingled roof. To the left and right of the dark wooden front door were windows with dark emerald shutters, giving the house an overall symmetrical effect. To any stranger, the house was functional and pleasing in appearance, but it was an overused design in Pallet, so, to Roxie, it was boring and unoriginal.

The dorky welcome mat her dad had picked out, the exceptionally green lawn and the well maintained flower beds tastefully intermixed with square shrubs were the few ways Roxie could tell her house apart from the rest of the neighborhood. No one else in Pallet could boast of gardens of this quality. They even had trophies to prove it! Not that Roxie or her parents had anything to do with those wins. The maintenance was all due of course to her mom's bellossom, Cherri, as no one else in the family had the time nor the dedication. Truth is Cherri had a bit of a rivalry with the roserade next door.

It wasn't a small house either. At times it felt bigger than it actually was when Roxie was alone as she didn't have any siblings or close friends to talk to, but those times were rare when she was so busy with school and the bakery. It wasn't like she didn't have her parents' pokemon to groom and spend time with either, so she wasn't completely alone.

As she entered through the foot door, she was immediately hit with salivating smells, suitably making her remember her empty stomach. Her parents had undoubtedly made breakfast. Hopefully, they hadn't started eating without her.

"Mom, Dad I'm home!"

"Did you get your pokemon?" she heard her dad yell from the kitchen.

"Yeah!"

Moving past the living room, Roxie was met with a table piled high with breakfast foods. Pancakes, eggs, toast, hash browns, ham, orange juice, fruit, and coffee were displayed almost like they'd come straight out of her mother's cooking magazines.

"Congratulations honey. We're so proud of you for graduating. We thought we'd have one last meal before you go. We're going to miss you babygirl," said her dad.

Her mom nodded and comfortingly patted Roxie's shoulders. "So eat up! You're not going to have a home cooked meal for a good while."

Warmth filled her and Roxie smiled. They were right; It was going be a long time till she'd be able to eat her mom and dad's cooking again. It was just like her parents to be so thoughtful.

Her mom passed Roxie a plate. "Where's your pokemon?"

"In his pokeball."

"You should release him. Pokemon have to eat too."

Roxie nodded. She set up a bowl for Charmander, and poured their standard homemade mix for pokemon and as an afterthought, she added an oran berry for more energy. She then released him.

Charmander, now out of his pokeball, took in his surroundings and noticed the food in front of him.

"Eat up Charmander. We're hitting the road after this," Roxie told him.

He didn't waste time, making happy chewing sounds as he ate.

Roxie and her mom laughed and turned back to the table.

Conversation easily flowed between Roxie and her parents. They were thinking about adding new pokemon desserts to the bakery menu. Her mother was debating whether to travel to Alola or Kalos to sample their specialties. Roxie jokingly wondered aloud the timing of their vacation and her leaving on her journey. Her father denied it, but Roxie persisted and almost roped him into catching her a rare pokemon for a graduation present before her mom playfully intervened. Now that she was officially a trainer, there was no reason for her to not catch her own rare pokemon. Eventually the conversation changed to more present topics.

"You have your bag packed and you know where you're going right?" her dad eventually asked.

"Yes sir," Roxie said. She knew he was just asking because he was worried, so it was best just to comply.

"And you have everything you need? You have enough money?"

"I have the league standard 1,500 in my account and you know I saved up a lot tutoring at the academy and working at the bakery."

"Hn," her dad frowned.

She knew that look. He still wasn't happy about her going on a journey. And from the way her parents kept glancing at each other, neither was her mom.

She couldn't believe they were going to go back on their word! All year they'd argued over this and it had taken her making valedictorian for her dad to _begin_ to support her decision to leave Pallet. Roxie honestly wasn't sure if she could leave without her parents' permission. She respected them too much, but if that's what it was going to take to leave, then Roxie would endure. She was stubborn and it was expected she'd leave solo. She just thought she'd be able to depend on her parents to cheer her on.

Finished eating, and noticing Charmander and her parents were already done, she sullenly gathered up their plates and loaded up the dish washer.

Her father shifted in his seat and turned towards Roxie.

"Are you still sure about this? Even with a pokemon, it's still dangerous going alone. It's not like when your mom and I were kids. Going on a journey is a great experience, but there's a reason the League moved the age line up to eighteen and I'd feel more comfortable if you took one of our pokemon with you."

Rising to help Roxie clear the table, her mom added, "Pidgeot's already agreed. She wants to travel again and she can be a great lookout and fly you to the nearest pokemon center too."

Frowning, Roxie truly thought about her situation. She was leaving her safety net with an untrained pokemon and with a basic grasp of survival and self-defense. Any number of things that could happen to her. Yes, Pallet Town was mostly surrounded by weak and young pokemon but what about later? And it wasn't just pokemon she had to worry about…. Running wasn't a sure enough getaway. Who's to say that Team Rocket wouldn't track and follow her for her rare pokemon?

Roxie moved her hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay. You guys don't need to sell me the idea. I get it."

Pausing, her parents each gave her exasperated looks and Roxie wanted to cringe. She wasn't that bad was she?

She'd been going on for months fully expecting to leave with just _one_ pokemon, thinking she'd just have to train Charmander extra hard and that'd be it. The academy hadn't left her ignorant either and she had top scores in self-defense. But _anything_ could go wrong… okay so maybe she had been a little too busy envisioning how much fun it was going to be traveling alone. Big deal. Rookie mistake. Done and over with. Dad's caution was starting to freak her out and it wasn't like she couldn't see the benefits of having Pidgeot on her team. She'd learned her lesson. Moving on.

Done cleaning, Roxie leaned against the counter and observed Charmander. The pokemon was done listening to the adults and was opening the bottom cabinet drawers, curiously pawing at items.

Roxie idly scratched her cheek, looking away from her parents.

Attempting to change the subject, she asked, "So where is Pidgeot?"

"She's waiting for you in the backyard. Here's her pokeball," said her mom, handing Roxie the device.

"Alright. I'll go get her and then I'll get my bag and leave."

Receiving the ok, Roxie hurriedly returned Charmander before he could touch the rattata poison. Disaster averted, Roxie made for the backdoor.

* * *

Roxie moved to the back porch and surveyed the area. Pidgeot liked to roost in the tall trees. Knowing she'd never been able to climb the darn things, Roxie instead yelled, "Pidgeot! Will you please come down?!"

An unmistakable screech from high up caught Roxie's attention.

Circling above, the great avian pokemon was a sight to see. Strong wide wings, beautiful plumage, and a glossy red and yellow crest – the 5'11" pidgeot was a fine specimen of her breed. Roxie could easily picture how her mother and Pidgeot were able to win the Kanto Grand Festival so many years ago.

Pidgeot made a slow descent. Touching ground, she cooed and greeted Roxie affectionately nuzzling the girl's shoulder. Roxie laughed and stroked Pidgeot's glossy feathers.

Quietly, she spoke. "Hi pretty girl. I heard you wanted to travel with me, is that true?"

Pidgeot fluttered her wings and chirped in confirmation.

"Okay. I'll be counting on you to help me and my pokemon if worse comes. I know you're older and far more experienced than me - I'm not your trainer - but please don't undermine my authority in front of Charmander. That's all I ask."

An affectionate head butt was all the answer Roxie needed.

"I'm gonna return you, but I'll be sure to release you once I start leaving Pallet."

Pidgeot nodded and Roxie said her thanks before the large bird was enveloped in red energy.

That done, Roxie pocketed Pidgeot's pokeball and then walked back and reentered the house. All that was left was to say bye to her parents.

She moved up the stairs to her room and grabbed her bag, taking one last look around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The room was just as she'd left it this morning. Posters of world region maps, pokemon contest showcases, pokemon evolution cycles, and pokemon type charts littered the walls with little to no paint showing through. In contrast, the bed was neatly made and there was no longer any clutter or dirty laundry covering the floor, desk, and dresser. She'd cleaned last night and gone through everything even remotely significant to her journey, but even still she wanted to be sure.

She went through a checklist of her bag: extra clothes, detergent pods, laundry bucket, clothesline, towels, washcloths, camping equipment, cooking and eating utensils, food, pokemon food, potions, full heals, pokeballs, first aid kit, repels, town map, journal, compass, rope, psyduck tape, water bottle, iodine pills, solar phone charger, sunscreen, makeup bag, toiletries, fishing rod, and her folded bike. It was too bad she couldn't bring more clothes or shoes, but she didn't have the space to be frivolous. It was, for this reason, she almost threw out her matches, but kept them just to be prepared. Once done, she left her room and made her way down. Her parents were still inside, waiting at the end of the stairs by the front door.

"You have everything? You're not forgetting your phone?" her dad asked.

Roxie was about to answer, but her mom impatiently interrupted before she could.

"Ok, she gets it! If she's forgetting something, we can always mail it to her at a pokemon center!" She pushed past her husband to hug Roxie. "It's time for her to leave. She's a pokemon trainer now," she said, pointedly stating her last words to Roxie's dad.

The man grunted and shot her mom an annoyed look that completely went ignored.

"And before I forget, I want you to have this. I saw it at the store and thought it'd be cute. Consider it a going away present," her mom said, handing Roxie a long rectangular box.

Opening it, Roxie found a shiny silver chain. It looked like a charm bracelet, only there weren't any charms. There were clasps on the chain for what looked like… pokeballs?

"It's a bracelet that you can attach your pokeballs to. Isn't it cute?" her mom explained.

"I love it. Thanks, Mom!"

She attached Pidgeot and Charmander's pokeballs to the chain. The clasps were sturdy and only opened if she pulled at them a certain way. Overall, the bracelet was pretty and conveniently made it easy for her to carry her pokemon.

Her dad opened the front door and they went outside. Hugs were exchanged and Roxie was finally able to say goodbye.

Before leaving her parents' sight, she turned and waved. Continuing, Roxie eagerly made her way to Route 1.

* * *

A/N: So here it goes. I'm writing again. If you're new to this story, welcome! And if you're returning, wellll you probably forgot about me anyway haha. It's been a while. I updated chapters one and two, so please check them out and refamiliarize yourselves. I also toned down the language. I personally don't like swearing too much now. It just feels a little immature. Maybe that's a sign of growth? Who knows.

Chapter 3 will be up tomorrow. I personally don't know when I'll update again. But until I stop, please tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Roxie passed by the guards at Pallet's northern gate. They nodded to her and once Roxie was past the gates, she was quick to release Charmander and Pidgeot near the side of the road.

Charmander immediately hid behind her legs once he noticed the large bird of prey standing in front of him. Roxie, surprised, assured him that Pidgeot wasn't going to hurt him. Once she said that, he grew more curious than afraid and waved a small shy hello to Pidgeot. Pidgeot chirped back a greeting and Charmander finally relaxed.

Now that the introductions were done, Roxie sat and laid out her town map, motioning the two closer. "Group meeting you guys."

"Our nearest pokemon contest is being held in Viridian City and that's about seventy-three kilometers north from here," Roxie said while pointing to the map and their direction of travel. "If we haul ass, we should be able to make it there before nightfall." She made eye contact with Charmander and Pidgeot. "You guys all right with that?"

Both pokemon made noises of agreement.

The contest was being held two days from now, so they didn't have a lot of time to get to their first destination. She could probably take it slow and walk the two-day journey while training Charmander on the way, but Roxie really wanted to make sure they got a room at the Pokemon Center before it started getting crowded. She also wanted to have time to explore the city a bit and register for her Contest Pass. But the biggest reason she wanted to get to Viridian so fast was because Roxie just wanted to _go_. She wanted to get on her bike and never look back.

"I've already got a few ideas for your appeals. You're going to look awesome!" Roxie said, winking at Charmander. "Not that we're going to compete at the Viridian Contest. It's way too soon for that. I just want to show you what competing at a Contest Hall will be like. I'm sure you've seen contests on TV before, but it isn't the same as being there!"

Charmander didn't share her excitement. had instead tilted his head and made a confused face at the word "appeals." He looked questioningly up at Pidgeot. When she shook her head at him, he let out a grunt and put on a thinking pose, scratching his maw.

Roxie inwardly wept at his obvious confusion. The very thought of him not knowing what a contest was, why it was preposterous! Ludicrous! He probably didn't have a lot of experience outside Oak's lab and she couldn't imagine Oak taking time out of his busy schedule to watch contests. If Charmander was going to be her pokemon, then the first thing he needed to do was see a contest appeal! And who better to do that than an expert like Pidgeot?

"Pidgeot would you please demonstrate to Charmander what it means to be a top-tier contest pokemon?"

Not one to waste an opportunity to show off, Pidgeot happily purred and gracefully flew into the open air, first demonstrating her flying prowess and agility in a set of acrobatic feats. Her movements flowed and made even the most complicated twirls look easy. Then once she was sure they were impressed enough, she flapped her wings to form a draconic twister, able to masterfully keep the tornado from reaching the ground. After that Pidgeot's wings then started to glow in a heavily concentrated white light. Roxie recognized the adapted move: sky attack. In an awesome display of her power, Pidgeot cut into the tornado and fearlessly dove into its treacherous winds, skillfully spinning in its opposite direction.

Charmander let out a cry of shock, but Roxie wasn't worried. It was risky to dive into a tornado, especially a dragon type tornado, but Pidgeot's performances have never been known to cater to the faint of heart. Even so, Pidgeot was more than strong enough to fight her own conjured winds.

Gashes of light began to swirl throughout the small tornado from Pidgeot's wings. But just as soon as the light came, the tornado was spun into nonexistence and the draconic energy that had been in the twister was now in hundreds of small focused particles around Pidgeot's still brightly glowing wings. Pidgeot then posed with her wings at their maximum length. The thick violet energy unnaturally extending her wings – doubling her already lengthy wing span. Then after she posed, she circled around them, allowing the violet energy to harmlessly glitter in the air around them. Finally, she stylishly flew down and bowed, ending her performance.

Roxie and Charmander applauded Pidgeot.

After Roxie thanked and complimented Pidgeot for her performance, she looked at Charmander.

"So what do you think? You'll be battling other pokemon of course, but this is mostly what pokemon contests are about."

Charmander, still astonished, slowly shook his head to clear it. Then he locked eyes with her. His gaze was so intense, Roxie, even with all her experience holding staring contests with Gary, wanted to uncomfortably shift. But Roxie, rather than look intimidated, returned his stare. He must have reached a conclusion because he smiled and clamped onto her leg and started energetically crying, frantically gesturing to Pidgeot.

Roxie, more than pleased with his excitement, promised him, "Yes your appeals are going to look just as awesome as Pidgeot's." Although he had a long way to go before he could reach Pidgeot's level, Roxie had high hopes. And while relieved he was accepting her as his trainer, she silently prayed he wouldn't come to inherit Pidgeot's preference for dangerous stunts.

At Roxie's words, Pidgeot gamely rumbled her challenge to Charmander, clearly flaunting her greater strength and experience. To Roxie's surprise, Charmander's tail flared up as he marched forward and feistily responded in kind. It seemed Charmander had forgotten his shyness in the face of Pidgeot's goad.

Roxie recognized their oddly reminiscent actions and saw a rivalry, however one sided, had just been made. And although she was happy Charmander was growing out of his mousy behavior now that he was realizing she was serious about being his trainer, Charmander's fierce reaction worried her. It was fine now because he was young, but even though Charmander's evolutionary line wasn't draconic, charizards could be just as battle crazed… and disobedient. She was going to need to establish a strong bond and set boundaries with Charmander before he evolved and grew rebellious. And perhaps she was being a little over cautious, she'd bet other trainers before her had wished they'd exhibited more dedication to their pokemon when those same pokemon began to ignore their commands.

Pidgeot must have noticed her concern because she saw Pidgeot soften her features and purposely enfold Charmander into her embrace. That's when she knew Pidgeot merely saw the competition as a way to encourage the awkward charmander to better himself. Roxie reassured herself. Pidgeot wasn't going to let their rivalry get out of hand and embitter their relationship like she and Gary; Pidgeot was going to be a great example for Charmander to follow and therefore wasn't going to let Charmander lose his respect for his trainer.

Worries assuaged, Roxie brought out her pokedex. "Charmander will you let me scan you?"

It would be good to know Charmander's move set. It wouldn't due for her to fumble his orders in the heat of an attack when she knew they would undoubtedly be encountering wild, possibly aggressive, pokemon on the road. She also wanted get a better idea of what moves to incorporate into Charmander's contest appeals.

Charmander, still energetic, nodded his okay.

Roxie aimed her teal pokedex and it booted, mechanically saying " _Charmander, the lizard pokemon. A fire burns at the tip of its tail. The fire can be used as an indication of the pokemon's health and mood._

 _This charmander is male. His ability is Blaze. When Charmander's health is low, Blaze will activate and its fire type moves will be strengthened by 50%. This charmander knows the moves ember, smokescreen, scratch, and growl_."

"Huh, that's pretty good. I've heard most starters only know two moves," Roxie commented.

This seemed to brighten Charmander's mood further, if his modest blush was any indication. Roxie made a note to compliment him more. She wanted him to have a healthy self-esteem because, in her opinion, any pokemon she trained was going to have to get used to receiving praise and awe from contest judges when they won first place ribbons. She wouldn't accept anything less, not for herself and especially not for her pokemon.

And just out of curiosity, Roxie also scanned Pidgeot when the bird complied to stay still.

The pokedex booted again, saying, " _Pidgeot, the bird pokemon. Pidgeot's powerful wings are capable of stirring up windstorms. Many trainers are captivated by this pokemon's beautiful plumage and striking feathers._

 _This pidgeot is female and has the ability Keen Eye. During battle, Pidgeo's Keen Eye allows her to retain perfect eye vision when hit by moves that effect accuracy such as sand attack, double team and minimize. This pidgeot knows the moves gust, quick attack, sand attack, whirlwind, twister, feather dance, agility, wing attack, roost, tailwind, mirror move, brave bird, U-turn, and return_."

Roxie let out a whistle of appreciation, naturally causing Pidgeot to preen. "That's really impressive Pidgeot." She looked at Charmander who'd just managed to close his gaping mouth. "This means you and I are going to need to work hard if we ever want to reach Pidgeot's level and beat Mom."

Charmander shakily grunted and crossed his arms, trying to retain a cool stance. Contrary to his outward nervousness, his tail flame rose again, matching the firm set to his jaw. Good. She wasn't the only one that wanted to win.

Thoughts drifting from elaborate ribbons and golden trophies, Roxie reached into her bag and pulled out her folded bike. Normal bags wouldn't be able to carry her large bike (even folded), but Siph Co. made it easy to carry plenty and still keep lightweight by using the same technology they used in their pokeballs.

With the bike set, Roxanne confidently turned to her pokemon. "Let's get going you guys. Pidgeot, I want you in the air. I need you scouting for any threats up ahead. Charmander you're riding with me."

Pidgeot folded her wing in a mock salute before she took off screeching into the air. Clouds of dust unfolded from her powerful wings and Charmander was left coughing. Roxanne, well used to this, had used her bag to block most of the dirt. Her mom never allowed Pidgeot to do that to her, but everyone else was fair game for the teasing bird.

Laughing, Roxie bent to help dust off the grumbling charmander.

Once he was mostly clean, she grabbed her bag and mounted the bike. Charmander jumped into the front basket and they made their way up Route 1.

Greenery shifted on all sides. Pidgey flew nearby and mankey happily swung on branches. Charmander cooed and eagerly took in the sights and smells. Roxie couldn't help smiling and tickling the lizard's nape, causing him to startle and smile bashfully up at her. She laughed. At least someone was enjoying the ride. She, in contrast, could feel the sun's uncomfortable heat bearing down on her body. If the sheen of sweat glistening above her lips was any indication, she was going to need to reapply another layer of sunscreen soon.

Roxie shifted gears. A lot of the dirt path was a climb up, making it an effort for Roxie to travel, but she bore the strain. Due to the nearness to Mount Silver and Indigo Plateau, this part of the region was quite mountainous. She was tempted to fly on Pidgeot, but she stubbornly refused. Roxie didn't want to take shortcuts unless they were absolutely necessary. Going on a journey was all about having new experiences and she couldn't do that by zipping to each town on Pidgeot.

It wasn't until a little over an hour later that something happened. Charmander had settled down and was taking a nap. Pidgeot was still flying above and keeping a minimal watch and Roxie was still pacing herself. She was glad being a trainer had required her to be so athletic in Poke Academy, else she certainly would have fallen behind from the exhaustion alone.

Closing her eyes, she smiled and enjoyed the wind blowing in her direction. The wind was a great reprieve from the heat. She could smell the sweet flora from the trees. She noted the pink and yellow apricorns hanging from branches. It was so peaceful. Nothing could harm her here. Nothin-

' _EAROW!_

Caught off guard, Roxie panicked and ducked her head, narrowly missing a speeding dark red blur. She lost balance and tipped to the left but shifted her weight in time before she could fall.

Now awake, Charmander scrambled up and began growling, tail flaring brightly.

She dismounted from her bike and used her mom's signal for "standby" to Pidgeot. She couldn't always depend on the flying type.

Roxie grinned eagerly. This was going to be her and Charmander's first battle.

The blur let out an angry cry and came back again, but Charmander was ready. At her command, he bellowed his ember attack, landed a direct hit and the assumed flying type pokemon hit the ground – a one hit KO.

Annoyed and disappointed, Roxie pulled out her pokedex. One move and that was it? What a shit first battle. She'd been looking for a bit more excitement. Charmander shared her sentiment and spat out a small fire ball.

The pokedex booted up and she trained it on the burnt pokemon. It was too small for a meal. Hopefully, Charmander hadn't hurt it too badly, even if the bird had a death wish. It was dumb enough to attack a trainer with a Pidgeot flying nearby.

The pokedex started, intoning " _Spearow, the tiny bird pokemon. They have short wings which cause them to travel at low speeds and altitudes. Spearow are very protective of their territory. Spearow can warn its flock of danger with its loud keening cry. Beginning trainers should not engage this wild pokemon in battle unless they are prepared to defend against an entire swarm of spearow._ "

Roxie and Charmander shared an awkward glance at the last part. She'd heard of hungry trainers getting attacked for stealing spearow eggs, but this was a bit much.

She didn't know that was a spearow…. She probably should have listened to its cry better…. Well it's not like it was still a threat. Roxie shrugged and put away her pokedex. She idly wondered what to do with the pokemon only to see the angry bird rise up again.

Roxie flinched. Had it been playing possum?!

"E-Ember!"

…Too late. Charmander missed and the thing flew up again, squawking for help.

Immediately a large flock of spearow appeared in the trees surrounding them. Where had they come from? Their numbers made a menacing sight. Their piercing cries hurt Roxie's ears and she and Charmander backed up a step. There were too many to count.

"Pidgeot!" Roxie called.

Pidgeot screeched and flew to confront the flock. She spread her great wing span in a clear show of intimidation.

The spearow halted in response and Roxie released a relieved breath. Pidgeot's clear strength had daunted them.

Roxie and Charmander were quick to get back on the bike.

This situation was really starting to make her nervous. The spearow were still glaring at them. She glanced at Charmander and saw even his brave front was showing cracks. They needed to get out of here.

Roxie turned and shouted, "Leave them Pidgeot!"

Pidgeot shrieked her acknowledgment and with a last glare to the spearow, they turned back to the road - now on guard.

It didn't matter if they were in the middle of an attack; every pokemon in the future was now going to be identified! If Pidgeot wasn't with her, she shuddered to think of what surely would have happened to her and Charmander. This was a firm reminder that no matter how weak, all pokemon were dangerous.

 _SPEAROW!_

Roxanne turned in shock. The same spearow from before had come back for a sneak attack. It was headed straight for her…!

She felt the whoosh of wind before she saw the spearow get thrown back to its flock. Roxie blinked and Pidgeot was at her side, – When had she gotten there? – fierce glare fixated on the spearows, readying for another attack.

The flock let out angry cries, but Pidgeot was quick to balefully screech and blow a warning gust. The gust caused them to spread out, but it quieted them.

Roxie was grateful. If she wasn't so sure the surrounding forest would be torn apart from the attack, she might've spitefully ordered Pidgeot to use whirlwind.

"Thank you Pidgeot."

Sparing a glance, the great bird chirped back, pleased with itself for protecting its charge.

They moved on with Pidgeot at the rear.

Hopefully she was the spearows' only "would-be" victim. She felt sorry for anyone else from Pallet that was confronted by those things.

* * *

With the spearows behind them, they were able to make it to Viridian City with little sun left. They probably would have made it earlier if it hadn't been for those demon birds following them for several kilometers. They really were the worst. The whole time they were followed, all three of them had been on high alert waiting for another sneak attack. It was so nerve racking, Roxie had been too scared to stop, rest and eat until she was twenty-four kilometers away from Viridian, well beyond the spearows' encompassing territory. She'd sent out an alert to the police about the spearows and they'd sent out some pokemon rangers in response, assuring her they would remove the spearows from Route 1.

Of course, that didn't mean the spearows were the only pokemon Roxie encountered on the road. They didn't see any passing trainers, so it was mostly brazen rattata and pidgey with the odd diglett that'd tried attacking them. Charmander, true to the powerful line of pseudo dragons he derived from, proved to be an eager battler. His eager obedience to her commands and Pidgeot's watchful gaze had helped to assuage Roxie's fears. But now that they were in a safe city, she was so ready to rest at the Pokemon Center.

Thanking her pokemon, Roxie returned them when they reached the gate. Unless in the Pokemon Center or in a designated battling area, only small pokemon were permitted to be released within the city limits and she didn't want to take any chances with Charmander. She'd only had him for one day and didn't know how he would react to large crowds.

She waved to the guards and entered the city, making a beeline for the PokeCenter. Other than the pokemon gym, it was the largest and most noticeable building in the city.

" _Attention citizens of Viridian City! Attention citizens of Viridian City! We have been warned of possible pokemon thieves in our area! Be on the lookout for suspicious looking strangers! Repeat, be on the lookout for suspicious lookin-"_

The announcement ended abruptly, but Roxie ignored it. She wasn't worried about having her pokemon stolen, not when she had such a strong companion like Pidgeot. She made a note to call her parents later when she settled for the night. She really needed to thank them for their foresight.

Roxie continued leisurely making her way to the heart of the city. Now that she had made it to her initial destination, she was now in no hurry to keep time. She fingered her bracelet, noticing how it glittered in the fading sunlight. It was so pretty –!

Roxie blinked in shock. She stared at her wrist and then at the alley where the retreating figure clutched her bracelet in its jaws. Her bracelet had just been stolen by a meowth. She didn't know whether to cry or scream. Her pokemon had just been stolen by a _thieving_ meowth. Her _pokemon_! Roxie wanted to hyperventilate.

Blinking away tears, Roxie gave chase.

"Give me back my pokemon!" she screamed.

The feline turned back and blinked innocently before it smiled impishly. "Nya, nya," it playfully wagged its behind.

Roxie ran in pursuit. Needless to say, she was incensed.

* * *

It was already dark. The cat had led her to what Roxie could only assume were the more dilapidated parts of the city. Street lights flickered and many of the store fronts looked to have closed down or had already been abandoned. Anyone else, she was sure, would have given up by now, but not her. She had lost the cat a few streets back and was now calling out for the little beast.

She folded her hands around her mouth and yelled again. "Meowth! Where are you? Give me back my pokemon! You can keep the bracelet!"

The pokedex had mentioned that meowth were known for snatching anything that sparkled. Roxie wanted to kick herself for her incompetence. She should have known better. Of all the things that could have stolen her pokemon, she'd let a trickster cat get the jump on her? She was never going to live this down. This had to be the worst start in the history of all pokemon journeys.

Roxie rounded the corner and stared wide unblinking eyes.

Two men were kicking at something. It looked small and it was crying. Something was glittering under it and Roxanne belatedly recognized it. It was her bracelet.

"Fucking meowth. Stealing all our shit!"

Roxie instinctively flinched. She couldn't decide if she was more disgusted or angry. She neither understood nor wanted to know how two grown men could brutally harm such a small creature. Didn't they feel any remorse or was a shred of decency asking too much? No one deserved this, not even a stupid mischievous cat.

She exhaled a quivering breath and without thinking, she shouted, "Hey you cocksuckers! Get away from it!"

They froze in their movements. Slowly, almost reluctantly, they turned like they were readying for something. For a moment, Roxie thought they were going to run, but when they caught sight of her, the taller, lankier of the two grinned. The second merely looked annoyed, grunting and spitting near Meowth.

She knew what they were thinking. One girl in a dark alley with no pokemon in sight – she was hardly a threat, but Roxie knew better. She was the fastest in her class. She doubted these men even suspected she could defend herself. If she could just get to Pidgeot, this whole thing would be over. She bit her lip, vowing she'd show them.

The grinning man sauntered forward, raising his hands in what he likely thought was disarming. Roxie doubted anyone could find him pleasant after watching him beat a helpless pokemon.

"What's it to ya babydoll?"

Roxie tried not to show her nervousness. This was her first time confronting anyone in a real fight. "Let me have the cat and we won't have a problem."

He laughed. "Sorry sweetheart, but no can do. You see, this here," he nudged Meowth with his foot, "stole our jewelry and we really need it back." He paused and then added lamely, "I'm proposing to my girl."

Having just had her pokemon taken by Meowth a little less than an hour ago, Roxie sympathized with the men. Truly, she did, but beating the pokemon was going too far. They had laws about humanely treating weak pokemon.

From what she could discern from the poor lighting, they looked more like crooks with their dark clothes and indistinct – Roxie had to squint to see the beads of their eyes – faces. The way their movements blended with the alley's shadows caused Roxie to warily lean back. She wouldn't be surprised if they'd stolen that jewelry. It couldn't be a mere coincidence the shorter man had a white mask hanging from his neck. Luckily they hadn't noticed her poke balls. She was certain they would have stolen those too.

Roxie subtly shifted her stance. Left foot behind her. Back straight. Deep breaths.

She mustered all her courage and in her strongest voice she stated, "Give me the cat or I'm calling the police."

The shorter one frowned impatiently. "Knock her out. No one's coming," he growled.

Still grinning, the chattier man immediately made a running start. He was fast, but Roxie was faster. Adrenaline coursed through her. At the right moment, she side stepped and when he tried to turn and make a grapple, she shifted her weight and used his momentum to shove him into the brick wall.

She didn't wait to see him fall, instead, she turned and made a bee-line for Meowth.

The shorter one had moved in front of Meowth, so when she came close, he tried to punch her, but Roxie ducked. Using her smaller height, she dipped below his outstretched arm before using the heel of her palm to break his nose causing him to gasp, back up and hunch over. No time to waste, Roxie scrambled for Meowth and her bracelet.

The one she'd shoved against the wall had already recovered and was coming for her, but Roxie was already one handedly fumbling with the bracelet, struggling for Pidgeot's release. None of the men knew what was coming. One tug and that was it. She enlarged the orb and threw.

White light flashed and there was Pidgeot, screeching a battle cry at her release, already protectively blowing gusts to drive the men out the end of the alley, away from her charge.

Roxie gave a relieved sigh. Situation now under control, Roxie tiredly followed Pidgeot out of the alley.

On the empty street, both men had fallen and were struggling to get up. Unfortunately for them, Pidgeot had landed and placed her large sharp talons over one of the men. The other couldn't move under her harsh glare. Both were paralyzed, whimpering under the might of the huge pokemon. Roxie couldn't fault their fright. Pidgeot held a temper and could be quite fearsome when crossed. Roxie could still remember Pidgeot fiercely chasing away a twelve-year old Gary the one time he'd made the mistake of following her home from school with a bag of water balloons.

"Pidgeot –"

"You can't do this to us!" one cried.

Roxie raised an eyebrow. That was rude. She didn't remember interrupting them when they thought they were in charge. …Did they really think she was going to kill them?

Feeling more than a little vindictive, she jotted a hip and flippantly observed her surroundings. "Why? It's not like anyone's coming," she repeated their words.

Both flinched and shared panicked looks. Roxie really wanted to laugh. It didn't feel so good being helpless, did it? These idiots were getting a taste of what Meowth had - she corrected herself - was still feeling.

She looked down at the curled cat in her arms. It was tiredly blinking up at her. There was some discoloration in places and it was a bit dirty from the shoe marks littering its fur. Roxie frowned. It was pretty small. Was it still young? Hopefully, it wasn't too hurt. Pokemon were known for being very resilient, but baby pokemon were still quite vulnerable.

She looked again at the frightened men. She was no executioner and other than the way they'd treated a helpless meowth and refused her request, she held no true ill will towards these men. She imagined they were just idiots trying to make a quick buck and when those plans fell through, they took their anger out on Meowth. Who knows, maybe they had a sick kid that needed expensive medicine or maybe they had a gambling debt to pay. They looked only a little older than her, so maybe her theories were running more along the lines of outlandish than the reality of two morons getting in the wrong situation. Roxie forced her thoughts in another direction. She didn't want to know their story and neither wanted to sympathize with them more than she'd already had.

Her experience evading them earlier showed how incompetent these goons would have fared against any other normal person practicing self-defense. She ignored the voice in her head pointing out how wrong this situation could have turned out if these clumsy men were just a bit more experienced or if she had just made one wrong move; it didn't matter because it didn't happen. Any other regular day and Charmander would have easily taken these men down. She wasn't a very charitable person, but she knew that in a similar situation, even without the motivation of her lost poke balls, she would've still helped out a pokemon like Meowth.

These men belonged in jail, but she didn't have time to call and wait for the police. Meowth needed medical attention. Hopefully, their experience with Pidgeot would make them think again before hurting another pokemon. Not that she cared for their health, but any other grown pokemon would have certainly killed these morons.

Roxie made her decision. "Pidgeot please let them go."

The great bird turned to her in shock. Roxie mildly wondered if she was going to refuse. This was the second time she'd ordered Pidgeot to leave a threat. The first time had led to that spearow attacking once their backs had turned. Would she be ignored? Roxie wasn't her trainer.

"Meowth's more important. It needs a pokemon center; potion isn't gonna cut it."

There was a pause where the bird looked critically over the cat. A second passed and almost grudgingly, she lifted her claw.

Quietly relieved, Roxie looked seriously over the frightened men, memorizing their features.

"Leave. If I see you again, I won't hesitate," she said.

They got up and ran. Her eyes followed their movements and when they were gone, she reached into her bag and got some potion and a poke ball.

Meowth was already fast asleep and Roxie doubted it'd be able to resist capture. She didn't really want it after all the trouble it'd given her, but it needed to be done. She couldn't carry the cat without losing her hold on Pidgeot. They'd both fall right off if it came to that.

She liberally sprayed the potion on what looked like the worst of Meowth's injuries. Hopefully, that'd help speed up the recovery. Once done, she expanded the poke ball and tapped it on Meowth's head. Red energy illuminated the street. The ball didn't struggle and the capture completed. This was technically her first capture, but Roxie was in no mood to celebrate.

Roxie shrunk the orb and added it to her bracelet. Then she turned to Pidgeot.

She smiled weakly. "Sorry for giving you so much trouble Pidgeot."

Pidgeot merely purred and nudged Roxie to climb on.

Roxie took that as an apology accepted. She was glad Pidgeot was so quick to forgive her. She couldn't imagine any of her parents' other pokemon treating her this way. It was so natural how they just clicked. But Pidgeot was family, so it only made sense.

Now straddling Pidgeot, Roxie got a good grip on the flying type's feathers. This wasn't her first time flying Pidgeot and it likely wasn't going to be her last.

When she was ready, they took off. Dust clouded in their wake and city lights, however little, twinkled and illuminated the sky. Small buildings passed and wind blew in her hair. No matter how bad this day had turned out, Roxie still had the city and the numerous other sights that awaited her. Pallet town didn't hold a candle to this view. She could only imagine what Celadon or Saffron looked like from this height.

* * *

A/N: Your thoughts and criticisms are much appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: If you're not new to this story, please check out chapter 1 and 2! It's mostly the same, but some changes have been made!

* * *

Roxie could tell something was wrong the moment they'd landed in front of the Viridian Pokemon Center. The street lights were all off, none of the surrounding buildings were lit and no one else was walking around either. Only the pokemon center had its lights on which only highlighted the unusual noises that were coming from it.

For a full minute, she just stood there in the dark, like an idiot, yards away from the building, trying to figure out what was going on, but too cautious to closer investigate. Pidgeot was no different; she was eerily still and focused, using her higher senses to measure the danger.

A second later, there was a loud crash and a dark smog began to seep through the poke center's front doors. Then there was yelling and screaming, but whether they were from surprise or injury, she didn't know. Someone or something was making a ruckus and it wasn't a pokemon getting out of hand…. It wasn't until someone yelled "Team Rocket!" that her suspicions were confirmed.

In response, she and Pidgeot cautiously took cover _away_ from the poke center and then once she was sure they were safe, she shakily reached for her phone and anxiously dialed the 110 emergency number for help. While she waited the precious seconds it took to get a voice on the line, she kept a strong hold on Pidgeot. The grip was more to keep track of Pidgeot's whereabouts than to keep her stationary. There was no way she'd be able to hold back a 136-pound bird that was capable of Mach speeds and spontaneous tornadoes. It'd probably be better to return her to her pokeball, but Roxie didn't want to be alone in case a Rocket came out of the pokemon center.

" _Viridian Police Department 110. What is your emergency_?"

Her pulse skipped at the sound of the woman's voice. Wasting no time, she blurted, "Team R-rocket is at the pokemon center!"

" _I'm sorry I didn't hear you. Please repeat."_

"I said 'Team Rock-'"

The line went dead before Roxie could finish. Frustrated, she tried calling again, but to no avail. On the third try, there was no dial tone. No one was picking up. She fruitlessly tried activating the emergency trainer app on her phone but considering her lost signal, she knew it wouldn't work.

She held back frustrated tears, aghast to breakdown now. This was serious. Never mind the thugs she and Pidgeot had beaten earlier. She wasn't ready for this. Rockets weren't people she could just knock around and then sic Pidgeot on; they were despicable criminals bent on world domination! Team Rocket was a well-known criminal syndicate that exploited pokemon for profit. They held no moral conscious and stepped on anyone that got in their way. To them, killing people and pokemon in their path was a simple everyday matter, like putting on shoes.

Her grip tightened on Pidgeot, deaf to her pokemon's calls, ready to mount her and bolt back to Pallet. But that would make her a coward. Would she be able to forgive herself afterward?

She glanced around nervously. The area was still strangely empty and no cars were passing down the street. She doubted it was a mere coincidence no one else was here to help. A paranoid thought came to her: what if Team Rocket had managed to block her phone's signal? With their black market dealings, how hard would it be to get their hands on a machine that could block communication? …Not very hard.

Panic slowly set in. Her parents were right. This was too dangerous…. Maybe going on a pokemon journey hadn't been the right decision… maybe she wasn't cut out for –

Pidgeot's urgent head butt jerked Roxie from her train of thoughts.

Another cry came from within the building. This time it sounded like a Chansey.

The pokemon center was in trouble and the police were going to be too late. This was crazy. People and pokemon were being attacked right in front of her and what could she do? She wasn't the police and she sure as hell wasn't a Ranger. She became a trainer so she could adventure and compete in contests, not fight criminals. Pidgeot was her only strong pokemon. It didn't make sense for her to fight an unknown amount of enemies - enemies that she very well knew would hold no reservations for hurting her and her pokemon. But the pokemon center needed help and she was the only one present!

She punched the wall next to her out of frustration, accidentally letting go of Pidgeot. Whether they knew it or not, they were counting on her – she – a trainer with a license not even a day old. Furiously, she tried in vain to center her thoughts; now wasn't the time for her misgivings. She was scared and tired, but - glancing to her feathery friend - she knew she wasn't alone.

Feeling the warmth of Charmander's pokeball, she nervously grasped and held onto the glowing ball for reassurance. She could feel Charmander's fire fill her blood vessels, remedying her anxiety, heartening her resolve… but how? Was this normal for a pokemon to be able to do this? For the urgency of the situation, she chose not to contemplate Charmander's soothing fire.

Her body relaxed and visibly coiled. With her emotions settled, she could finally think more clearly.

There was no way the police weren't coming. She acknowledged that her phone could have been blocked, but everyone knew that Kanto's pokemon centers had their own backup alarm systems. So there had to be something else happening in the city that was keeping the police from being here (Why else would they be late?). She and Pidgeot could enter through the back way and take the Rockets by surprise. If she could distract the Rockets long enough, it should give the police enough time to make it here. That or distract the Rockets long enough for everyone to escape the poke center.

With a plan made, she nodded seriously and with a renewed energy she signaled Pidgeot to circle around back. Only Pidgeot wasn't paying attention …or next to her. Too late. Roxie had hesitated too long and Pidgeot, meanwhile, had gone ahead, already making the decision to help.

With a single flap of her powerful wings, Pidgeot was able to clear the noxious fumes and burst open the front doors. Roxie quickly got over her shock and belatedly followed the foolhardy bird, trying not to think of how quickly she was running into her doom.

When she made it inside, Roxie was greeted to the anticlimactic site of a man and woman oddly posing to form what she could only assume was the letter R. She and Pidgeot must have interrupted them with their loud entrance because they were also darkly glaring in their direction.

" _Meowth_! Hey, you're interrupting the motto!"

Yup, they interrupted.

Plan now ruined, she gripped Charmander's pokeball again and his flaring heat renewed her strength. Roxie calmly registered the situation and recalculated her strategy, trying not to question her sanity when the meowth in front of her kept talking. Her battle mindset was finally kicking in. Two groups of people were facing off, one clearly civilian and the other one armed with two poison and one normal type pokemon. She recognized the red Rs adorned on the criminals' clothing. People like Team Rocket were the reason the minimum age for trainers had gone up. Poachers, traffickers, thieves and killers were the worst of scum. Team Rocket, unfortunately, fulfilled all these categories and more.

She glanced to Pidgeot. Wasting no time, she made her order clear, "Pidgeot steel wing!"

Pidgeot readily answered her command. Her powerful wings glowed a reflecting white light before she burst into action, zooming past the Rockets, and making a direct hit with the enemy pokemon. The enemy koffing, ekans and meowth slammed into the opposite wall, all three in a fainted stupor.

Roxie scoffed, inwardly relieved she didn't have to send out Charmander; these two Rockets had to be the lowest grunts of the organization to go down so easily. She was expecting a bigger fight. Pidgeot was strong, but her strengths leaned more towards speed and agility rather than brute force; and like most contest pokemon, she was trained to be more focused in control and style. Maybe her luck was finally turning around.

She idly observed the other occupants of the room. Except for a pikachu, no one seemed hurt. Rather everyone in the room appeared to be shocked. Any other time Roxie would have smirked at being the center of attention, but she currently wasn't feeling the glam. Today had been one shit storm after another.

"Who do you think you are?!" the female Rocket screamed.

Roxie didn't acknowledge the woman and instead faced Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot make sure they don't get away," she said.

With two hands raised in a surrendering gesture, the male seemed to be the smarter of the two. Unlike the taurosheaded woman, he already knew he was beaten.

Her earlier disregard seemed to have annoyed the female Rocket because she was angrily sprinting straight at Roxie. Just a few feet before the woman would have reached her, Pidgeot flashed before her and gusted the woman into her partner.

In no time, both Rockets were holding each other, cowering under the brunt of Pidgeot's ire.

"B-but we're Team Rocket!" the male Rocket whined.

Roxie quickly retracted her previous observation of the male.

Pidgeot shrieked at his protest and both Rocket's fell quiet under the pokemon's sharp glare.

This time Roxie smirked, admiring Pidgeot's might. She knew she could trust her friend to guard these criminals. The sight reminded her of those morons she'd defeated just across the city. It made her realize that perhaps she was ready for this journey. Incident after incident and still she'd been able to handle herself _and_ triumph. With Pidgeot and Charmander, it felt like she could handle anything.

"Roxie is that you?"

Roxie blinked and followed the voice. It was the signature ball cap and unkempt black hair that first tipped her off. Then dark amber eyes, lightning bolt cheeks, and a boyish face came into focus and she recognized him. It was Ash from Pallet. She hadn't noticed he was here from all the commotion. She might've been happy at seeing a familiar face, but now wasn't the time. It didn't matter how easily they were defeated, Team Rocket still needed to be restrained. She reached into her bag and brought out a pile of rope. She'd been hoping to save it for when she visited Mt. Moon, but this couldn't be helped.

"Mind helping me out?" she said, gesturing to the rope in her hands.

He nodded, and said something to a woman in nursing scrubs before reluctantly leaving the side of his - Roxie assumed it was his - wounded pikachu. She was surprised he'd actually gotten a pokemon. Hadn't he been late for registration? Well never mind.

Together, they were both able to tie up the Rockets. After they were restrained, Roxie then snatched the Rockets' pokeballs and, except for the talking meowth, returned the koffing and ekans. For some reason the odd cat didn't have a pokeball, so he was being tied with the man and woman.

"Um, Roxie are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ash," Roxie said, focusing on tightening the rope. She had to make sure the meowth couldn't break free using its claws or teeth. Even though she was sure these people were too scared of Pidgeot to make a break, it still paid to be prepared.

"Ah, are you sure? Because I uh - I mean I'm not that great with crying girls but uh- "

"What are you talking about?" Roxie asked, slightly annoyed, but trying not to show it. Ash was a nice boy and he was one of the few people at school that'd never questioned her willingness to travel alone, even after Gary's talk.

"You're crying. Can't you tell twerp?" the female Rocket mocked, "You should be because once we- "

Roxie slapped tape over the crazy woman's mouth, unwilling to hear any more.

She ignored the female Rocket's muffled voice, mechanically finished tying the Rockets' meowth and afterward immediately started wiping her face, absently thankful she was only wearing mascara.

This wasn't how she wanted to portray herself; she wanted to be self-confident and in control. Unfortunately, the heat radiating from her face and the silent tears still streaming down her face told another story. In this bright lighting, it'd be impossible for anyone else to not notice her breaking down. It was already bad enough that Ash and those low lives had seen her. She wished she could be less emotional, but it seemed even with her pokemon's help, she still couldn't hold back all her tears - not when she was carrying such a mess of relieved nerves.

"Here," Ash said, holding up tissue for her. She took it, thanking him. If she wasn't crying, she might have asked where he got the tissue from. Ash was never prepared. "Why are you crying? You and Pidgeot were amazing! The chemistry between you! It was – it was wow," Ash said, flailing his hands.

Roxie smiled, easily seeing through his actions, like an open book. It was endearing that he was trying to cheer her up. She twisted the tissue together, not meeting his eyes, but in the end decided he at least deserved an answer for his kindness. "I thought me and Pidgeot were going to die."

"And you still came to help us? Wow, I didn't know you were like this," Ash said, sounding impressed.

That caught her attention. She fully faced him and could clearly see the way he was looking at her with new eyes.

"Like what?" she asked, already bristling and preparing to insult him.

"You know selfless and brave," Ash said smiling, endearingly rubbing his nose. "You were always so focused and closed off in school. That or bored. The only time you showed anything was when Gary pissed you off or when you won battles. Which by the way, we're so having a rematch before we leave Viridian. No buts. That last battle was so unfair the way you used leech seed and attract!"

Roxie silently sighed, immediately losing her fire. He really was sweet. "I'm not that great. And sure, challenge accepted," Roxie smirked, "Though I doubt you'll have what it takes to beat me and Charmander."

"Excuse me, Mr. Ketchum, but Pikachu will need at least another day's rest before he'll be in any shape to battle," a voice sternly interrupted. Then continuing more softly, "I've placed Pikachu in the recovery ward if you'd like to go see him."

Roxie snapped her head up, just noticing an older woman in nursing scrubs walking towards her and Ash. Like Roxie, she was attractive, but unlike Roxie's blonde hair, her hair was an eye-catching shade of pink that was neatly tied in long circling pigtails. And while Roxie could still feel the sunscreen sprayed on from this morning and the subsequent dirt and sweat that'd accumulated from the course of her journey, this woman didn't have one speck of dirt and actually smelled like lavender. If Roxie was less secure in her appearance, she might have felt envious of the way this woman looked so impeccably put-together in nursing scrubs, of all things.

Ash nodded, thanking the nurse, and then hurriedly left the lobby for his pikachu.

The nurse smiled and kindly introduced herself to Roxie. "My name is Charleen Joy and I'm the head nurse of this pokemon center. I would like to personally thank you for saving us and the center's pokemon. You were very brave. I don't know if we'd still be standing here if it wasn't for you. I checked over your Pidgeot and other than a little tired, she's in perfect working health. Please if there's anything I can do for you, just ask. You have my complete gratitude."

There was a pause and the woman was still gently smiling at her when Roxie finally remembered her manners and robotically shook the nurse's hand.

"Hello Nurse Joy. I'm Roxanne Solon. I have a meowth that's badly injured. Can you please heal it?"

"Of course!" Nurse Joy chirped.

Roxie jerkily unclipped Meowth's pokeball and passed it to Nurse Joy. When the woman tried to leave, Roxie kept a firm hold and stared the woman down, needing her to understand that she was telling the truth. "I didn't hurt it. I found two men kicking it in an alley."

Nurse Joy thankfully only nodded and asked Roxie to look after the center until the police arrived.

After the kind nurse and two chanseys finally went into the emergency ward, Roxie was left sitting in the front lobby staring down the Rockets. The man was avoiding her eyes, but the woman was still angrily mumbling threats. Pidgeot was standing on one of the upstairs railings and was keeping a vigil of the criminals, ready to swoop down and attack if they made any wrong moves.

It was bad but Roxie didn't think she could fulfill Nurse Joy's last request. She knew Pidgeot wouldn't let the Rockets get away, so however unorthodox, Roxie was comfortable enough in the rigid hospital sofa to (regrettably) nod off and let sleep take her.

* * *

"Oh where could she be?! She should be sleeping! Oh my, how could she have gotten out?"

 _Chansey, chansey!_

"Yes I know it isn't your fault Chansey, but Meowth needs to be found! It shouldn't be moving in its injured state, especially not with those painkillers in her system."

Roxie startled awake to the alarmed voices sounding from across the room. At first, she'd thought the Rockets had escaped (and hadn't Pidgeot been on watch!?), but when she listened more, she was able to come to the conclusion that Team Rocket wasn't the issue. Instead, Meowth was missing. With that revelation, Roxie relaxed and got more comfortable in her seat. Call her mean, but Roxie couldn't say she was worried for the cat. She'd already done all she could for Meowth by taking it to the poke center to get treated - even after all the grief it'd given her yesterday. What the cat did now wasn't her business. She knew the cat was smart too, – judging from all the times it had been able to sneakily evade her yesterday – so it could take care of itself. As long it didn't take her bracelet again, Roxie didn't care what Meowth did.

With the meowth situation settled, Roxie remembered she was still sitting in the same uncomfortable couch from last night. Feeling a large blanket over her, Roxie surmised someone must have placed it over her last night. The blanket was also the only explanation Roxie could think of for why she felt so unusually toasty. Moreover, she also had a crick in her neck and still felt dirty from yesterday's events. Fortunately, there was gum in her pack to get the morning breath out of her mouth.

Now more relaxed after her rude awakening, she tiredly rubbed her eyes and blearily took in her peaceful surroundings, deftly ignoring the anxious looking chansey raising the lobby's entire front desk above its head. As to be expected, the tied-up Rockets were nowhere in sight. Roxie noted she must have been really tired to sleep through their arrest. She was however a little surprised the police hadn't woken her up for questioning, but she doubted Pidgeot, with her protective tendencies, would have let anyone near her while she was still sleeping on the couch.

Judging from the amount of sun filtering in through the windows, Roxie measured the time to be just after dawn. She imagined her parents were just waking up, getting ready to open shop. With trepidation, Roxie remembered she still needed to call them. She didn't know what to tell them. She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to tell them how many life-threatening situations she'd just been in and on her first day as a trainer, no less. She knew how that conversation would go. They'd both be hollering for her to come home and disband her crazy need to journey. No, Roxie decided she wasn't going to tell them the truth.

With that plan made, Roxie tried standing up only to realize there were two very warm weights lying over her lap. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a suspiciously familiar orange tail peeking out from the blanket covering her. Now more than curious, Roxie unfurled the blanket and looked down to see Charmander and Meowth curled against her. Without her permission, her heart warmed at the sight. …Well at least now she knew where the unusual heat was coming from.

She took stock of Meowth's injuries. There were bandages wrapped around her mid and upper body. Roxie couldn't see any swelling or bruising and the cat didn't look like it was having any trouble breathing either, so Roxie finally relaxed. She comforted herself with the knowledge that if Meowth still had the ability to break out of the recovery room _and_ walk across the lobby to sleep in her lap, all the while undetected, then she must be nearing a full recovery. Nurse Joy really knew what she was doing.

When she was done checking on Meowth, she heard hurried footsteps come near her. It was Nurse Joy. Like last night she looked clean and put together. If it wasn't for the way she was wringing her hands, Roxie would have never noticed her anxiety. Feeling pity, Roxie decided to end the good nurse's worry.

Roxie partially lifted the blanket covering her to reveal Meowth, saying, "Meowth is with me. She must have crawled here when you weren't looking."

Nurse Joy gratefully exhaled. "I was so worried! I thought she might have left the building, but of course, she would go back to you... she must really like you." Her voice unexpectedly grew serious, "It only makes sense. She wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

Either ignoring or not noticing Roxie's carefully blank stare, her demeanor, like a switch, turned pleasant, "I'll let Meowth rest with you for now. Breakfast will be served in an hour. If Meowth hasn't woken up by then, I'll bring you a plate. Okay?" She patted Roxie's hand. "You did two good deeds yesterday Miss Solon. For now, just rest and we can talk about Meowth's recovery and Team Rocket's arrest later. Meowth is lucky to have you as her trainer"

Roxie nodded again and Nurse Joy went down the hall to where Roxie assumed was the cafeteria.

As soon as Nurse Joy was gone, Meowth unexpectedly popped her head up above the blanket. Almost immediately the cat grimaced and hunched a bit. Roxie guessed she must have moved too fast and strained herself.

Roxie shook her head in disapproval before she grabbed one of the pillows next to her and helped Meowth into a more comfortable position so she didn't hurt herself more. While fluffing the pillow, she grumbled to the cat, feeling exasperated, "I don't even know if I want to be your trainer. You're more trouble than you're worth." Meowth in response unworriedly grinned and purred, like she was pleased with herself for a job well done.

Charmander, now awake, yawned and didn't look at all surprised to see Meowth on Roxie's other side.

Speaking of surprises, she didn't remember releasing him last night. Roxie glanced up to the upstairs railing where Pidgeot was resting. Pidgeot must have released him to either comfort or protect her. Probably both. Either way, she was grateful for her friends.

…If it wasn't for Charmander and Pidgeot, she probably wouldn't be alive today. They were the real heroes, not her. Whether Meowth or Nurse Joy thought so, the truth was, she was just another stupid kid looking for an adventure.

When things suddenly got serious at the poke center, all she'd wanted to do was run. She was also mainly self-motivated to save Meowth when she'd found her in that alley. And of course, she did eventually go to help the pokemon center, but that was only because Pidgeot and Charmander were there to help. What did it say about her, that without her pokemon to do the heavy-lifting, she would have left the people in the pokemon center for dead? She wanted to simplify it, to say it made her someone that knew their limits, but there was more to it than that. A high self-preservation added in with a low moral compass did not make a good person and especially not someone you'd want to trust watching your back. She was a selfish girl that only looked out for herself.

Charmander's nudge interrupted her cynical thoughts. Roxie, more than happy to leave her morality issues to the dark recesses of her mind, focused on him. Charmander was her balm and right at this very moment, that's exactly what she needed. Of course, she could have been imagining his calming effects from last night. Or maybe it was real? Only he knew the answer… and perhaps Professor Oak. Now that she thought about it, this would be an excellent time to call Professor Oak. He was usually up at this time to feed the pokemon at his ranch.

She opened her video-phone app and dialed Professor Oak's number. Charmander meanwhile curiously sniffed at the phone as it buzzed, showing it was ringing on Oak's end.

 _Mmmm…. Mmmm…. Mmmm…._

The phone's screen flashed and Oak's smiling face came to the picture.

"…Ah Hello, Roxanne! You caught me at a good time. Are you in Viridian?"

"Yes, sir. I arrived yesterday."

"I see you and Charmander are well and you caught a meowth! Well done! You know Gary and I had a bet for a million dollars that you and Ash wouldn't catch a single pokemon before you made it to Viridian." Oak good naturedly chuckled. "I, of course, said that you would!"

Roxie smirked. "Thanks for the confidence Professor."

"Yes well, it seems my confidence in Ash may have been unfounded…" Oak grumpily frowned.

Roxie coughed and switched topics, trying not to poke fun at Oak's misfortune. "Right well I wanted to talk to you about Charmander."

"Oh?"

"Something strange happened yesterday. I was in danger and Chamander, from his pokeball, was able to change my emotions and make me more focused. Is that normal?"

"Hm yes, that does happen from time to time when a trainer and their pokemon bond closely, but you've only been together for less than a day. How unusual." Oak rubbed his chin in thought and wondered aloud, "Pokemon are good judges of character."

Charmander and Meowth suddenly made affirmative cries, showing their agreement with Professor Oak and surprising Roxie at their closer proximity. She'd forgotten that both her pokemon were also listening to the video call.

Oak crossed his arms and nodded his head. "Yes, that confirms it. Charmander and Meowth must see something in you to already feel close to you, but that's not very surprising. You've always been able to bond well with pokemon at the academy. I also know you have a close relationship with your mother's Pidgeot. Evolved pokemon like Pidgeot don't just listen to anyone, especially not green horned trainers such as yourself."

"Ok whoa, I'll be the first to say I'm a talented trainer. I worked my butt off to get to where I am, but, personality wise, I don't think I'm that great of a person. I mean it took me years before I could get a good read on Pidgeot and have her listen to me. Even now I still have trouble and sometimes get Pidgeot's meaning wrong."

Oak continued, undeterred. "Charmander isn't young either. He's actually one year older than the other starters that were given away yesterday. It didn't work out between him and his previous trainer. From what I've gathered, Charmander didn't like the way his trainer was treating him because he couldn't learn flamethrower, so Charmander ran away. It's a shame the way new trainers wrongly train their pokemon, expecting fast results."

Roxie nodded in agreement, unable to believe someone would mistreat Charmander because he couldn't learn an advanced move. Starters were usually given to new trainers at the age of six months,. Physiologically speaking, at that age, it's likely Charmander hadn't had a flame sac big enough to do such a high-level move.

Oak remarked, "Why before he met you, Charmander had not once taken any interest in another trainer."

"I was also wondering about the scratches on his hide," Roxie said, rubbing Charmander's back. He leaned away, looking sullen at the mention of his previous trainer.

"Yes, he's experienced in battle," Oak's voice suddenly grew stern, "but you would have known that if you were patient and not daydreaming at the lab. Why you left so quick, I couldn't even get a word out!" he exclaimed.

"Ah sorry about that Professor!" Roxie awkwardly grinned, "I was really excited about getting Charmander."

He sighed. "Well, I suppose I can understand your impatience. It doesn't feel like that long ago when I was your age…. If that's all, I need to finish feeding the ponyta and don't think I didn't notice the way you changed the topic to Charmander. You're very good at understanding and communicating with pokemon Roxanne. I never thought I'd have to say this to you, but please don't underestimate yourself."

Roxie blushed, caught. Though she still had her reservations, she embarrassingly thanked the professor for his help.

"Make sure to call your parents." He waved goodbye into the camera, "Goodbye and stay safe on your journey Roxanne."

"I will. Goodbye Professor Oak."

Roxanne sighed before mustering the decision to call her parents next, but as usual, there were 4 rings before she got the message to leave a voice mail from each of her parents' phones. She should have expected they'd be too busy with the bakery. Unless it was an emergency, the general rule was to not call the bakery during working hours, so Roxie called it quits and left a voicemail on her mom's phone, telling her she was safe and resting at the Viridian Pokemon Center. She'd called them later when her parents were off. It sucked sometimes when her parents were too busy to spend time with her, but it is what it is.

Both Meowth and Charmander gave Roxie comforting pats in response to her mood change. Roxie smiled and returned the favor.

It was kind of amazing the way pokemon could connect to humans through friendship. It was because of this ability, humans and pokemon were able to work together and coexist so well. Battling, contest shows, triathlons, building roads and towns, mining, and protecting ecosystems were just a few examples of the many ways people and pokemon could deepen their relationships. It almost made her wonder how far less advanced humanity would be if pokemon didn't exist. Gosh she was sounding like Prof Oak. Ehem.

While Charmander went back to napping, Roxie continued to pet Meowth, still unsure whether she wanted to keep her. She'd take care of her and help her to recover from her injuries, yes, but it was afterward that Roxie wondered about.

When she'd heard Nurse Joy saying Meowth liked her, she'd taken the nurse's words with a grain of salt, but Meowth's affection and Oak's assurance helped to prove the nurse's words true. Maybe there was a chance Meowth would like to travel with her too? Wait was she really thinking of keeping her on the team? It'd be smarter to give her a trial run first.

In a better mood, Roxie turned back to Meowth, scolding without heat, "You shouldn't have left the recovery room. You really worried Nurse Joy."

Meowth meowed with a questioning tilt at the end. Somehow Roxie knew what she was asking. "I wasn't worried."

Meowth grunted and pathetically hunched her shoulders. Roxie hesitated to say Meowth looked disappointed. Her opinion couldn't matter that much to Meowth and she could tell the cat was purposely exaggerating her body language to garner Roxie's pity. She just wasn't sure how much of the act was fake. The bandages wrapped around Meowth really helped to pull off how pathetic she looked.

Roxie, now feeling bad for the injured pokemon, backtracked. "You're a sneaky pokemon, so I know you can take care of yourself."

Meowth, for her part, merely tilted her head and widened her already comically large eyes, the perfect picture of clueless innocence. This time Roxie knew it was fake. If it was any other pokemon, Roxie might have bought the admittedly cute act. Unfortunately for Meowth, the time Roxie had spent chasing her down streets and alleyways was extremely useful in gauging this pokemon's personality and she was anything but innocent.

Rather than feeling annoyed with Meowth's staged act, Roxie laughed. Was she actually enjoying being around Meowth?

She pointedly didn't comment on Meowth's charade, instead wryly asking, "So how'd you get my bracelet off?"

Pretenses now forgotten, Meowth unsheathed one of her claws and imitated picking a lock, impressing Roxie. Meowth must be a fairly good thief if she could unlatch the bracelet from Roxie's wrist and then sprint across the street in less than a second _without breaking it_.

Roxie absently fingered her wrist for the bracelet only to find it gone. She almost had another freak out before she realized the bracelet was in Meowth's mouth. Roxie tiredly held her hand out and Meowth sheepishly gave it back, all the while smiling with shiny eyes and teeth. One thing was for sure, the cat was good.

Bracelet now clenched in her hand, she glanced speculatively at the empty clasp that should have been holding Meowth's pokeball. She'd ask for the pokeball back when she spoke to Nurse Joy again. Right now Roxie was seriously considering keeping Meowth. Screw the trial run. She'd be an idiot to think Meowth would be no trouble, but she also knew she'd be crazy to pass up this opportunity. Not only good at keeping a cute and playful charade, Meowth was also a mastermind at evasion and subterfuge.

She'd been too worried and mad to realize it at the time, but Meowth was talented at taking advantage of her environment. She'd been able to deftly dodge Roxie's grapples and carefully aimed pokeball throws by ricocheting off walls, trampolining off people's heads, and spinning and flipping off ledges. It made Roxie wonder how much longer Meowth would have held out before giving back the bracelet because without those two men catching Meowth unaware, there would have been no way for Roxie to get it back otherwise. The little beast was an acrobat. She would be an absolute hit in a contest hall. Not to mention Roxie's feelings over the matter. She didn't particularly hate Meowth anymore (it was kind of hard to when she just yesterday saw two grown men repeatedly kicking the small thing). And when compared to yesterday's other incidents, Meowth's thievery came closer to kitten play than actual danger. The sight of Meowth and Charmander nuzzling her in their sleep this morning had also helped to endear Roxie to the kitty. Roxie blamed her bleeding heart. The mischievous cat was growing on her. She wanted Meowth on her team. All she needed now was Meowth's acceptance.

Roxie looked her dead in the eye. "Do you want to travel with me?" Before Meowth could voice her answer, she hastily added, "If you're going to be on the team then you can't steal from me… or other people and you have to listen to me."

Meowth looked taken aback by the question. Maybe she didn't think Roxie would ask after knowing she'd already been captured in a pokeball? After a few moments of consideration, she mewed and purred, affectionately head-butting into Roxie's hand.

It hadn't occurred to Roxie to ask this question earlier, but it seemed valid now that she'd technically made her first capture. "Do you guys want a nickname?"

Charmander was the one to answer enthusiastically. Meowth was slower to respond, but she eventually agreed too.

Roxie thought hard of what could be good names for her pokemon. Meowth reminded her of a goofy cat from one of her old bedtime stories. She couldn't recall the exact fairytale, but Roxie did remember the name of the sly cat; its name was Cheshire. The odd purrloin from the story liked to disappear and reappear at odd times, play pranks on characters and speak illogical phrases to the lost protagonist. When she voiced the name to Meowth, she seemed to like it. Charmander, in contrast, was harder. Roxie tried focusing names around fire or light, trying names like Luz and Mars. She personally liked Luz, but Charmander shook his head at it. Roxie almost suggested Fury, but that was a bit much, so she changed tactics. She remembered watching a movie about a small lizard pokemon becoming a western hero.

"What do you think of Rango?"

Charmander grunted. He took a few seconds to deliberate before he gave a toothy smile, showing his agreement.

"Awesome!" Roxie cheered.

Roxie looked at both of her pokemon, unable to keep the excited grin off her face when she pictured their winning future. This was it. This was the moment Roxie had been waiting for, that silver lining to her disaster start as a pokemon journey. She had a speedy trickster and a developing powerhouse. Sure there'd probably be some setbacks with Meowth – no Cheshire's – impish personality and Rango's upcoming evolution as a pseudo dragon, but Roxie felt she was ready for it. And if there were challenges she needed help with – Roxie looked up at the upstairs railing to find Pidgeot – she also had her friend to lean on.

Roxie absently heard the poke center's front doors opening. She didn't bother looking up. It was probably just another pokemon trainer.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Solon?" a voice said, making Roxie look up. The speaker was a teal haired woman in police uniform. Next to her was a man also in uniform.

"Yes, that's me," Roxie said hesitantly, wondering why their interview couldn't wait.

"I'm sorry, but we need you to come to the station," the woman said.

Roxie straightened in her seat. "I thought I could come to police station anytime today. What's the hurry?"

"There were a set of robberies that occurred last night. Luckily we were able to capture the last two runners, but they didn't have the stolen goods. They told us that a girl and her pokemon stole it from them and based on the description they gave us, you and your pokemon match it to a T."

Roxie felt the blood drain from her face. Just what had she gotten herself into?!

* * *

Thanks for reading!


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